Tombstone for Anna

britishmuseum:

Under
the Norman kings of Sicily, the island became a prosperous and influential
Mediterranean superpower. The coexistence of western,
Islamic and Byzantine cultures on Sicily created a multilingual state. In
Palermo, the messages on public monuments were frequently in two or three
languages. This funerary inscription was set up by Grisandus, a Christian
priest, for his mother Anna in AD 1149. Her eulogy is written in Judaeo-Arabic
(Arabic written in Hebrew script) on top, Latin on the left, Greek on the right,
and Arabic below.

Learn more about this cultural centre of the
ancient and medieval world in our exhibition Sicily: culture and conquest (21 April – 14 August 2016).

Sponsored by Julius Baer
In collaboration with Regione Siciliana

A
tombstone in four languages. Sicily, AD 1149.
Soprintendenza Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Palermo. © Regione Siciliana.

Multi Language Tombstone! How cool is that!